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Emsius
Emsius ("Land of Exodus" in ancient Leirian) is a minor continent found in the ocean northwest of Valordyn. The continent has a varied geography of plains, forests and deserts. History According to legend, the continent was shaped roughly 15,000 years ago by the enigmatic god Lord Asmos using raw ekati. The continent was rich in the magical substance for years, and remained undiscovered for a long time due to the presence of a sinister colossi known as the Grand Idol. Humans of Emsius are descendants from the ancient civilization of Leir. These ancient Leirians were known as "the Raptured", a group of 44,000 Leirians who were put into an ark to set sail for the north to avoid the infamous disaster known as the Whirlwind - a massive dust tornado believed to have sent by the gods to punish Leir for their sins - which destroyed all of Leirian civilization. The refugees holding onto the last of Leir's legacy would later spread to cover all of Emsius in spite of the land's harsh conditions as they proved to be highly resilient. In Emsius' early history, giant animals roamed the land and humanity was very close to the bottom of the food chain. Giant insects as well as enormous flying reptiles preyed on humanity. However, with the discovery of ekati in the region, humans were able to acquire magical powers that would allow them to challenge these behemoth foes and eventually carve out large segments of land for the rest of humanity. However, these magic-gifted would ascend into other beings known as Bargods (derived from the Argurosian word for "fake deity" or "idol") would they themselves become threats as they became corrupted with powers. These Bargods ruled as dictators for much of Emsius' history, but over the next few thousand years, they since faded into legend, and few of the original Bargods are alive today. Regions Cyrasia Cyrasia is the most populated region found in the eastern half of Emsius. Humanity has conquered much of the continent leading to the extinction of virtually all megafauna and ekati-based creatures once native to the continent. Cyrasia, while a fairly mundane land in terms of wildlife diversity, has highly fertile soil making it one of the most ideal locations for human civilization. Lithica The largest region covering most of the west, a vast desert once a wet swampland in the past, but today was transformed into a desert during the Great Crusade - the battle between two rival factions of supernatural beings. Lithica is dominated by the New Leir Empire who claim themselves as the direct successors of the Leirian legacy, attempting to rebuild the empire exactly how it was. Anitira Anitira suffers from devastating windstorms and tornadoes due to a giant unstable ekati crystal below the surface causing a rift in space-time to bring in two drastically different colliding temperatures. Anitira is covered in both fields of lava and icebergs making most of it uninhabitable most forms of life, but the island of Kulbrenna is a safe haven from this inhospitable climate. Nasyrimia A small continent directly southwest of Lithica, Nasyrimia is a wild, exotic land having remained untouched by humans for nearly 2,000 years. It is the last remaining area within Emsius that survived the volcanic extinction event. The nations of Cyrasia have recently begun a series of expeditions to colonize and explore this land, but the hostile wildlife has made it a slow process. Many mages that survived the Great Crusade fled to Nasyrimia to restart their own ambitions enslaving both Nasyrimian natives and Cyrasian colonists. List of nations *New Leir Empire - The largest country in Emsius which occupies the majority of the region of Lithica. *Arguros - The second largest country in Emsius, it occupies central Cyrasia and has a diverse climate. *Chrysanthos - An island nation off the coast of Cyrasia. It is the only location in Emsius home to another non-human species: dwarves. It is said that the ancient dwarves built a tunnel underneath that leads all the way to mainland Valordyn that the dwarves used to arrive here, but this tunnel has long since collapsed. *Kulbrenna - An island nation off the coast of the largely inhospitable Anitira. In Emsius' early history, they were known as brutal conquerors *Shale - A tiny island nation known for being constantly surrounded by a thunderstorm. While the weather remains gloomy, the Shalic people have built their city around lightning rods and were the first in Emsius to harness the power of electricity. *Marperio - A coastal, tropical nation known for its natural beauty. Its capital city of Tylia is the largest port city in Emsius, and is often the location where traders from Valordyn arrive. *Belavaer - Known as the fashion center of Emsius, Belavaer is a posh, rich location founded by wealthy merchants and tailors. What started as a successful trading business eventually became corrupted into a dictatorship controlled by an abusive monopoly. *Govadia - A desert nation occupying the border around the Dariel Sea which separates Cyrasia from Lithica. Ecosystem Much of Emsius' more fantastic wildlife went extinct during the Great Crusade. As a result, many life forms that incorporated ekati into their biology died off as they were slaughtered in masses in order to harvest the ekati. The few that remain are close to extinction. Notable creatures * Strufenix - A large, flightless bird with many colored feathers. Known for its ability to breathe fire, it inhabits the deserts of Leir, and is often used for mounts. * Magus Oyster - A species of bivalve that naturally produces ekati in its pearl form. Magus oysters were extensively used by the city of Jacinth which made it one of the leading produces of ekati in the entire Cyrasian continent. Although it dominated the economy throughout most of the 19th century, overharvesting has led the species to become critically endangered making human-produced ekati a far more viable option. Today, Magus Oyster pearls sell for very high prices on the black market. *Arcanowar - A species of cnidarian that produces an internal liquefied ekati. To defend itself from predators, it sprays a near-lethal dose of the liquid enough to trigger the preliminary stages of ekati poisoning. Despite this, the agents found within the liquid can be refined into a healing elixir that promotes longevity and good health. Arcanowar are usually found in the Dariel and Mageterian Seas. Prophesied End It is common belief among the people of Emsius that at midnight on the final day of December in the year 1999, the world will come to an end. The other gods will summon the same Whirlwind that destroyed Leir, but this time to destroy the entire world, and that nothing can be done to stop it except to come to terms with the fate. Those that refuse this fate upon death would be forever trapped in a state of agony and despair as their souls float away for eternity in the ether. Those that do accept this fate are given the chance to enter the Gate of Oblivion where they will be painlessly removed from existence. Some of those that reject this fate believe the Whirlwind can be averted, and some believe that the Whirlwind will not even occur at all. Category:Continents